Father of Young Learjet Co-Pilot Breaks Down Over Final Radio Calls as He Reveals His Daughter’s Courage Before Fatal Crash

The grieving father of a 20-year-old pilot killed in a devastating Florida Learjet crash has revealed that he repeatedly listens to his daughter’s final radio transmissions, desperately searching for clues about what happened while struggling to comprehend the loss of the young woman he once taught to fly.

Allan Filgueiras, himself an experienced pilot, spoke publicly about his daughter Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras after she was among nine people killed when a Learjet 60 crashed in Palm Beach County, Florida, on November 1.

At an emotional news conference, Allan said he wished he could have been inside the cockpit beside his daughter, helping her fight to save the aircraft.

“I wanted to be by her side. Inside the plane, to help,” he said, holding back tears.

He described Nathalia as his soulmate and said listening to her final communications with air traffic control had left him both heartbroken and immensely proud.

“She showed me what it is to be a hero,” he said. “She was the one over there to the last minute fighting.”

The final radio transmissions reveal how quickly the situation deteriorated.

Nathalia initially informed air traffic controllers about ice accumulating on the aircraft as it encountered a thunderstorm. The plane experienced severe turbulence, with its altitude reportedly fluctuating by around 700 feet.

The emergency then escalated dramatically.

In one of the final communications, she reported that the aircraft was descending at approximately 10,000 feet per minute. Moments later, she declared an overspeed emergency and reported a descent rate of 20,000 feet per minute.

Her words offered a terrifying glimpse into the final moments of the flight.

The Learjet was traveling from Austin, Texas, to North Eleuthera in the Bahamas when it crashed near Greenacres in Palm Beach County. All nine people aboard were killed.

For Allan, the tragedy is especially devastating because he introduced Nathalia to aviation when she was just 12 years old.

He helped teach her to fly, watched her progress through training and eventually saw her turn the passion they shared into a professional career.

When she finally secured a job as a pilot, she reportedly told him she could hardly believe she was being paid to do something she loved so much.

Flying, her father said, was when she was happiest.

The family has also pushed back against criticism questioning whether Nathalia was too young or inexperienced to serve as co-pilot on a high-performance business jet.

According to her family and aviation mentor, she had accumulated more than 1,300 flight hours and completed the required commercial pilot and Learjet training.

Her instructor, Chris Kirk, said her performance during a Learjet 60 check ride in March had impressed the examiner so much that he believed she had more than 5,000 hours of experience.

Kirk also praised her composure during the emergency, saying her final radio communications demonstrated remarkable professionalism under unimaginable pressure.

The family’s attorney, Stuart Grossman, said the news conference was intended to protect Nathalia’s reputation as well as honor her memory.

He described her as a highly accomplished pilot who had earned her position through dedication and hard work. The family said it had no immediate plans to file a lawsuit and would wait for the findings of the official investigation.

The other victims included aircraft captain Jeffrey Gregory, 55; technology entrepreneur Adam Robinson; his wife, Helen Sharp; their two children; their nanny, Ana María Ramírez Cetina; and friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr.

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board have not determined what caused the crash. Pieces of the aircraft’s tail were discovered several miles from the impact site, while a section of an engine was also recovered.

At the time of the latest reports, investigators had not located the cockpit voice recorder, which could provide important information about the crew’s discussions and the emergency inside the aircraft.

For Allan, however, the investigation is only part of the struggle ahead. He has described the loss as feeling like his heart had been torn from his chest and said he must somehow find a way to continue living.

His daughter was only 20, but in her final moments, her family says she demonstrated the courage and professionalism of a much more experienced aviator.

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